Drinking plenty of fluids is an important part of a healthy diet, but if we are not careful the beverages we choose may be contributing excessive calorie intake and weight gain.
Staying hydrated it important part of keeping our body healthy. Water plays an important role in our digestion, circulatory system and helps to maintain a correct body temperature. It is recommended that the average adult consume between eight and ten 8-ounces of fluid a day.
All liquids, such as juice, tea, soup, soda, sports drinks and even coffee can be counted toward our daily fluid intake. But not all fluids are created equal. Many types of fluids are adding excessive sugar, fat and calorie to our diet.
Avoiding High Calorie Culprits
Many of us are holding on to unwanted weight because of the high calorie beverages we are drinking. No matter how closely a person watches what they eat, if they are consuming high calorie drinks they will never maintain a healthy weight. Next time your thirst kicks in, put a little thought into what you are drinking and make a healthy choice.
- Pass up the fruit smoothie that can provide 200 calorie and drink fat free milk that only has 90 calories.
- Instead of choosing a medium (16 oz) café latte made with whole milk which has 265 calories, pick a small (12 oz) latte made with fat free milk that has 125 calories.
- At lunch replace your 20 oz of soda that is 227 calories with diet soda that has 0 calories.
- Avoid drinking lemonade from the vending machine with 180 calories and choose a bottle of water flavored with Crystal light that has only 5 calories.
By paying attention to not only what we eat but also what we drinking, we can stay hydrated without expanding our waist lines.
Melissa Black RD, CD
